U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,970 (issued Mar. 1, 1988 to Reik et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,710 (issued Jan. 2, 1990 to Reik et al.), and JP-B 6-97060 (published Nov. 30, 1994) disclose a torque transmitting and torsion damping apparatus. This known apparatus comprises a torsion damper disposed between coaxial first and second inertia bodies, which rotate about an axis with limited relative rotation to each other. The torsion damper include a drive plate assembly and a coupling using rivet pins for connecting a portion of the drive plate assembly in the neighborhood of the outer periphery thereof to the first inertia body. According to this known connection between the first inertia body and the drive plate assembly of the torsion damper, the rivet pins bear stress during transmission of torque. This involves the potential problem that the structural strength accomplished by the first coupling may drop below a satisfactory level under severe operating conditions.
An object of the present invention is to provide a torque transmitting and torsion damping apparatus employing a torsion damper, which provide sufficiently high and stable structural strength between a drive plate assembly of the torsion damper and the adjacent inertia body.